The controlled positioning of patients is of significant importance in many surgical and convalescence procedures. Pillows or rolls contoured with special shapes have been developed to support a patient in one or more positions on an operating table during and/or after surgery.
In some examples in which a patient is maintained in an lateral or semi-lateral position during surgery, both of the patient's arms are extended at a 90 degree angle relative to the body, with one arm vertically positioned above the other arm, causing pinching of neurovascular components located in axilla which is at the juncture of the arm to the body. Prolonged compression can cause temporary or, in some cases, permanent damage to the nerve and vascular structures with the result being a loss of feeling, function or viability to the patient's arm.
Attempts have been made to reduce pressure of the components of the axilla with patient positioning on operating tables and beds including the use of pillows, towels, blankets, cushions, bolsters, or other devices to prop up the patient's chest, neck, feet, back, head, abdomen, or other anatomical regions. However, none of these devices have been entirely satisfactory, or even capable, of adequately supporting various anatomical regions of a patient's body to prevent pressure points and to provide stable, flexible, equal, and adjustable distribution of pressure points with a universal positioning device capable of multiple uses, and one which is cost-effective and disposable with each use to reduce possible patient cross-contamination.
Further problems with supporting devices made of gel or other materials are the inability to readily adjust the height to support various parts of a patient's body, to adequately relieve pressure points from the patient contact, to readily clean and maintain proper hygienic properties, to prevent slippage of the cushion, sliding of the patient, and so on.